


The Guardians ft. Tony Stark

by Moonliel



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, guardians of the galaxy 2
Genre: Avac, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Dating, Gen, Getting Together, IronLord, M/M, Starkquill - Freeform, nod of acknowledgement for Avengers Academy, peter/tony - Freeform, random time line, starklord - Freeform, tony's already with the guardians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-02 06:25:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11503620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonliel/pseuds/Moonliel
Summary: Peter's birthday is coming up and the rest of the Guardians (including Tony) have a fun surprise for him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ambiguous time frame - Still MCU!Tony and MCU!Peter  
> Takes place some time after Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and CA:CW. Gonna go ahead and say that you should also probably assume that this is also post!Infinity Wars though not a lot of references will be made to the past as this is simply a self-indulgent fluff piece.
> 
> Also, first time writing for this couple and exploring this fandom a little more so comments and kudos are much appreciated if you end up liking it <3

* * *

 

“You sure you’re not Rocket’s half brother or something?” asked Peter as he sidled up to Tony and the latest alien electronic he was tinkering with.

“I’m clearly the evil twin. Notice my mustache,” answered Tony as he tried to twirl the end of his mustache in an exaggerated villain way.

Peter let out a laugh. “Yeah, I can really see the family resemblance. You’re both short and hairy.”

“Hey! That was uncalled for,” Tony replied, but Peter could see the smile tugging on his lips so he knew Tony wasn’t really offended.

“What are you doing back here?” asked Tony as he got up from his workshop desk as he wiped away any grime onto a towel. He leaned back against the desk, pivoting toward Peter.

“Nuthin’ just wondering when you’re gonna come up for air. We’ll be landing soon and no one has seen you most of the day.”

“What? How long have I been down here?” Tony asked aloud, but when no reply from JARVIS or FRIDAY came as he was used to a small pang of melancholy shot through him.

Peter noticed Tony’s change in mood but pretended he didn’t see anything. “A few hours. At least you had some snacks,” Peter said as he nodded toward the dried fruit near Tony’s work space.

“Yeah, but we’re landing somewhere so I assume dinner?”

“Yup. What are you working on anyway?”

Both men started making their way through the ship toward the bridge.

“Ah, a little this and that.”

“What’s that?” asked Gamora as she met up with them.

“Just asking what Tony has been doing for the day. Just saw a bunch of do-dads.”

“Don’t fry your brain Quill. I’m sure if the great mustachio over there did tell you, you still wouldn’t understand,” replied Rocket with a sharp grin.

“Hey!” shouted both Tony and Peter.

“I am Groot.”

“No one asked you, Ent,” huffed Tony but with a smile.

“His name is Groot, not Ent,” butted in Drax as he took in the rest of the crew.

Peter and Tony just looked at each other before laughing. Mantis quickly joined them, a smile painted on her face.

“What is so funny?”

“Just a Terra thing, don’t worry about it,” answered Peter once he regained some air in his lungs.

“We’ll be landing soon everyone. Seatbelt time,” said Kraglin from the captain chair.

Everyone dispersed to go and find seats. Soon they arrived planet-side smoothly.

“We doing anything special here?” asked Tony as he disembarked.

They seemed to have docked at the main space dock of a major city. Many different aliens of all colors and shapes were scuttering around, haggling and just chatting.

“Nah, just a refuel for the ship and for us. Probably only stay for a day or two,” answered Peter as they all clamored off their home.

“Maybe we can stay a little longer? We’ve been cooped up for a while and it’s not like we have a job right now to complete,” said Tony as he looked at each of the Guardians, urging them to agree with him.

It was only a few more days until Peter’s birthday and they weren’t completely ready, but if he could swing more practice time for everyone - with Peter none-the-wiser - then it would go a long way for the grand finale.

Peter looked around at his crew. Groot just implored him with an _I am Groot_ , Rocket shrugged and snickered, “I could always stock up on more do-dads until the next trip.” Gamora just nodded, Mantis squealed happily, Kraglin shrugged and Drax said, “More days separated from the rest of you will be good for me.”

Peter, realizing it was a losing battle, just shrugged helplessly with a grin on his face. “Alright, guess we’ll be here a little longer so everyone make sure you bring your things - might as well see if we can rent a few rooms somewhere.” 

Peter wasn’t sure what to feel. He knew that his birthday was coming up and it would be the first year he was celebrating with Tony on their team and he was hoping that the other man would want to do something special with him alone, but now it seemed as if everyone had forgotten his birthday. He felt a pang around his heart and realized he was _hurt_ that his team had not cared enough to remember.

Tony inwardly grinned. He knew there was no way Peter was going to ignore the crew. This made it so much easier to set up everything and practice in secret. Tony knew that he wouldn’t be able to escape from Peter’s side for too long while they were at the new planet. Peter was still overprotective about him since he was the new guy - plus they had started some really heavy flirting recently and Tony was sure that Peter would try to woo him some more now that they could get some real privacy. Rocket was a major life saver. He would be able to hook everything up according to Tony’s specifications and access the ship when Tony would be indisposed.

 

* * *

 

They grabbed dinner at the nearest restaurant and then went in search of a place to stay that wasn’t their ship. Normally Peter would not want to part from the Milano for too long but the allure of having a bed larger than a twin and Tony sharing his room was to tempting.

“So room assignments as usual: Drax and Kraglin, Mantis and Gamora, Groot and Rocket, and Tony with me. We practically have this whole floor but try not to cause _too_ much property damage _this_ time,” stressed out Peter as he looked at Rocket, Drax, and Gamora in turn - they just had no basic decency sometimes, thought Peter with an exasperated huff. He would love it if they didn’t get banned from yet _another_ planet.

They all said their farewells and went to their individual rooms. 

Tony stashed his bag underneath the bed and stretched his arms over his head. Peter tried his best not to stare at the sliver of skin exposed around Tony’s hips but it was a losing battle. “I didn’t really think that my bed was going to be something I was going to miss from Earth..er..Terra,” said Tony as he moved to lay spread-eagle atop the bed.

“Oh yeah, luxury bed, right?” asked Peter as he sat on his own bed and started taking off his boots. He hadn’t had a bath in who knew how long so he was going to enjoy himself.

“You have no idea. Large enough for a 5-person orgy, 6 if one of them is flexible enough,” said Tony with a laugh in his voice.

“Damn Tony! You can’t just say things like that!” complained Peter, finally finishing with removing his socks as well.

Tony just laughed. “Jealous?” he teased.

“Of course! You are definitely ruining my self-proclaimed title of ‘playboy’,” said Peter as he stood to remove his jacket and shirt.

Tony looked him up and down unabashedly. “I’m sure there are plenty of ways we can _both_ retain that title,” he said as he grinned at Peter lecherously.

Peter wasn’t entirely used to people hitting on him so blatantly. His cheeks flushed a little pink. He coughed out, “Yeah, I’m sure. Gonna take a bath now unless you need the bathroom,” he added out hurriedly, a little desperate to change the subject before he embarrassed himself further.

“Nah, you’re good. Gonna take a long bath?” Tony asked nonchalantly.

“Definitely! I’ll be sure not to use up all the hot water,” teased Peter. Tony just snorted as he put his arms under his head and closed his eyes. Peter dropped his pants and walked into the bathroom in just his boxers, trying to keep the image of Tony sprawled all over the bed firmly in his mind. The Milano wasn’t sound-proof so some self _care_ was also in the plan tonight.

 

* * *

As soon as Tony heard the water filling the tub he hurried out of his room and made his way to Rocket and Groot’s room. Once they let him in he tapped the group communicator (except for Peter’s) and called everyone in the room for an impromptu meeting.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here I just wanted to go over the plan one more time. Peter’s birthday is in a few days and we’ve been preparing as much as we could. Now that we’re going to be planet-side for that time it’ll give us a lot more time to finish practicing,” said Tony.

“Kraglin, you and Rocket will have the hardest jobs. I don’t want Peter walking to the Milano at _all_ while we’re here since we’ll have the equipment out the entire time. Kraglin, you’re in charge of diverting Peter as much as you can. Rocket, I won’t be able to get out of hanging out with Peter much while we’re here so I need you to set up all the equipment and have it ready for group practice and make sure all the speakers are set up and everything along with the DJ station.”

“The Captain ain’t gonna like me intrudin’ all the time,” said Kraglin.

“Just make it as casual as you can,” answered Gamora.

Everyone listened carefully. They had been working on this surprise for over two months now and it was crunch time. “You’re also in charge of pyrotechnics,” finished off Tony. Rocket let out a large grin.

“Ahhh yeah!”

“Mantis, are you still struggling?”

“I’ve never seen or done anything like this before, but the lights you installed have helped immensely. I just need to practice more,” she answered.

“Awesome! Drax, remember to actually stick to the beat we practiced. You can go solo on your own time but we need this to be as perfect as we can make it for Peter.”

“Fine,” Drax pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Gamora?”

“A little more practice, but I’m sure I got it.”

Tony gave her a large smile. “Groot, just do what you do best, buddy.”

“I am Groot.”

“Alright, I gotta head back to my room now since Peter is almost done with his bath.” The group let out wolf whistles and Drax slapped Tony on his back.

“Shut it,” Tony laughed. “Watch the merchandise, big guy,” he added to Drax as he almost toppled over.

“You are pathetic Stark, just like Quill. You are perfect for each other,” said Drax.

“Uh, thanks?” Tony really wasn’t sure how to take that but Rocket just cut in with a bark of laughter. “Yeah, laugh it up,” said Tony grumpily.

Rocket wiped a single tear from his eye. “I’m gonna head over to the Milano and start hooking things up. Anyone joining?”

“I will join you. I need more practice,” said Mantis.

“I am Groot.”

“I’ll join in tomorrow. If that’s all I’ll be busy in my room. Good night,” said Gamora as she walked out.

“See you all for breakfast?” asked Tony as he reached the door. Sounds of agreement reached him.

“Good night,” he called out as he closed the door behind him.

 

TBC


	2. Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day

* * *

  
Peter woke up slowly. It seemed that he had forgotten what it felt like sleeping in a large, comfortable bed. He let himself bask in the comfort for a moment before he processed the sound of the shower. He hoped the rest of the crew were awake already because he could feel his stomach rumble with hunger.  
  


Peter wanted to spend the day with Tony. They hadn’t had much time do any exploring the night before since they had arrived so late and many places were already closed for the day. This was Tony’s first time on the planet and Peter wanted to be the one to show him around. He loved seeing Tony’s face fill with wonderment whenever the engineer saw something new and hearing Tony ramble on about random technology or modifications he could make to their gear or his own Iron Man suit. Peter found himself more entranced with the other man with each passing day.   
  


Before he met Tony he would try to hook up with anyone whenever they stopped and would sometimes flirt with Gamora to pass the time. He didn’t really mean it seriously and he knew that Gamora was absolutely not interested in anything beyond friends, but it seemed to develop into some kind of banter between them - like an inside joke. Peter had to admit that it was for the best.   
  


Now that Tony was with them it was hard for Peter to think about anyone else. Sure, he still flirted and winked at the cute barkeep or sometimes snuck a peek at a soldier in uniform, but there was just something about Tony that made him resist the urge to bring those other people back to his room for a night of good fun.   
  


To be fair, being part of the Guardians didn’t leave him a lot of time alone to begin with so it was no surprise that his interests started shifting from people outside the Milano to those inside. That’s not to say that he only liked Tony as some kind of convoluted Stockholm syndrome thing, but he had to admit that it does make it easier to try and woo the man.   
  


For a while Peter was unsure what he really wanted. He had never cared to be monogamous and often felt a weird itch whenever the idea of commitment sprung up. Now that he was older and experienced so many things, the biggest being the truth about his father, Peter felt that he wanted to find someone to spend his life with. It sounded crazy whenever he thought about it, but once the idea formed he had a hard time getting rid of it.   
  


The problem seemed to be that his heart had set itself on Tony, but it was nigh impossible to figure out what Tony wanted. Peter didn’t want to get involved with Tony and have it only mean a wonderful night. If he was to get involved with the genius he had to know that Tony was in it for as long as Peter was. He cared for Tony and he cared for the rest of the Guardians enough to not want to mess anything up.   
  


Peter sat up from the bed and scrubbed his hair harshly with both hands. It was ridiculous to think on such things when he and Tony weren’t even dating. A few seconds later Peter heard the shower turn off and the door to the bathroom open.   
  


Tony stepped into the bedroom with only a towel tied loosely around his waist while he rubbed another towel into his hair to try and dry it. His upper body glistened with water as stray drops made their way down his abs.   
  


Peter could feel his face flush as his mouth went dry. He unconsciously licked his lips as he took in the sight.   
  


“Ah sorry, did I wake you?” asked Tony as he went to his duffle bag as he started to pull out some clothes. Tony took extra care of his clothes that he had brought with him from Terra and he couldn’t be happier they have survived as long. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the leather-thing everyone else had going on, but it just never seemed as an everyday type of style for him. Whenever he thought of leather he equated it to clubs, parties, and loud music.   
  


“Uh..no. No, I just got up,” answered Peter, a bit flustered. Thoughts of Tony usually left him more tongue-tied when faced with the man. “I was just wondering why you didn’t change in the bathroom.”   
  


Tony gave him a strange look.   
  


“Sorry? I didn’t really think it mattered. Plus I thought you were asleep.”   
  


Peter looked away, no longer able to stare at Tony without thinking about throwing the inventor onto the bed and ravishing him. “It doesn’t matter. Why would it matter?” rambled on Peter. He mentally face-palmed. God, Tony probably thought he was a total idiot.   
  


Tony just smirked at Peter as he changed right in front of him, even if Peter had already looked away. Tony knew that Peter had a crush on him, he just didn’t know if it was as serious as the one he had on Peter. Tony was the newest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and there was no way he was going to do anything to mess up the team dynamics for just a one-night stand. If Peter and he were going to do anything it was definitely going to be something that last.   
  


“Got any plans for today?” asked Tony as he sat on the bed and laced up his boots. Peter looked back over at the question.   
  


“I figured I could show you around. I’ve been here a few times before,” answered Peter with a grin.    
  


Tony knew that Peter was going to suggest that and he was happy that he put Rocket in charge of the technology portion of their plan. If he was being honest with himself he was happy that Peter did. Tony was new to this particular planet and he was excited to check out anything different it had to offer.   
  


Back when he was on Terra and with the Avengers Tony had been afraid of space. The fight with Loki and the wormhole had opened him up to a slew of mental health issues, panic attacks and genuine fear. After some therapy and some self-care he worked through most of it. Now being on the Milano in space and with Peter and the rest of the Guardians - well, he wasn’t completely healed but he was definitely happier than he had been back on Terra.   
  


Tony smiled over at Peter. “That sounds great. Want to go and get breakfast? Everyone is probably waiting for us.”   
  


“Yeah, let me just brush my teeth. I’ll be quick,” answered Peter as he got up.

 

* * *

 

“Really? That’s what you have planned?” teased Rocket as he finished off his meal.   
  


“What’s wrong with that?” indignantly asked Peter.   
  


Mantis covered her mouth as she giggled.    
  


“Whatever, meatbag. Do what you want.”   
  


“Do any of you want to come with us?” asked Peter. Tony gave him a side glance thatPeter ignored.   
  


“Are you really inviting us to join your date, Quill? You can’t be that desperate to not make a fool of yourself,” said Drax as he took a swig of his drink.   
  


Peter started choking on his own saliva and Kraglin started patting him on the back. Tony just coughed into his fist.   
  


“Thanks for the invitation, Quill. We have our own things to do though,” answered Gamora as she stood from her seat. “Let’s go, everyone.”   
  


“I am Groot.”

 

* * *

 

Tony could feel his stomach twist in happy knots. “So is this a date, like Drax said?” asked Tony as they headed up to the shopping district.  
  


Peter laughed uncomfortably as he looked away from Tony. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and could feel his face flushing. “Drax is an idiot,” is all he answered with.   
  


Tony looked at Peter as they continued to walk. He could see Peter’s red cheeks and bit his own lip nervously. He prayed that he wasn’t just about to mess everything up, but he really did want to date Peter so if Peter wasn’t willing to make the first move then Tony had to put his big-boy pants on.   
  


“I wouldn’t mind if it was,” said Tony nonchalantly, even if he was internally freaking out. He continued facing forward, hoping his face wasn’t showing just how nervous he actually was.   
  


Peter quickly whipped his head around and stared at him. They paused their walk and had found a small alcove on the street to loiter in.   
  


“Yeah?” questioned Peter, his heart pounding. Usually he was more suave than this. He would know how to flirt, how to get the other person interested enough to spend more time with him, how to get a date, but with Tony he was at a loss. How did one reel in a playboy for the long haul?   
  


Tony just gave him a quick and charming smile. “Yeah, now come on and show me the upgrade piece you were telling me about.” Tony mentally backtracked. It didn’t really feel that Peter was too interested and Tony knew when to cut his losses and run. No biggie - just needed to get through the rest of the day without making it into a big deal. He sighed internally.   
  


Tony walked off further into the shopping district and Peter felt like beating himself up. Was this Tony flirting back? Maybe Tony was saying that he wanted a little something long term as well? Did Peter just completely mess up and would he even get another chance?   
  


With a loud groan he just trailed behind Tony and tried to forget at how badly he just messed up.

 

 

**TBC**


	3. Dinner Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo.... this was suppose to be a two-shot but for some reason Peter and Tony just keep wanting to spend more time together. Gonna try to wrap this up in 3 more chapters at the most XD

* * *

 

“What does this thing do?” asked Tony as he picked up another alien piece of machinery. Peter sidled up next to the engineer, purposely brushing up against him. He may have failed to invite Tony on an actual date, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still flirt with the man.

 

“Not too sure to be honest. Possible energy source depending how you configure it,” answered Peter. He took the device from Tony’s hand and turned it around a couple of times. “How much?” he asked the shopkeeper. Tony turned his head quickly in order to look Peter in the face, a smile quickly forming.

 

“Is this some kind of courting gift?” teased Tony once Peter handed over the appropriate amount of credits after some haggling. 

 

Peter handed over the device to Tony, making sure their fingers brushed. “You bet your sweet ass it is,” answered Peter with a salacious grin. Tony just laughed. 

 

“Oh? Well, you think I can get you to pay for lunch as well?” asked Tony after pocketing the questionable power source. He hooked his arm through Peters’ and started dragging the other man away toward a restaurant they had passed by earlier on their walk. It was actually pretty weird for Tony - he wasn’t used to not having endless amounts of money to fund whatever idea crossed his head. Here in the universe ran on credits and American dollar bills didn’t cut it. It wasn’t that he minded that though.

 

Peter couldn’t believe it. It was easier than he thought getting back into Tony’s good graces. After his earlier snafu Peter was sure that the rest of the day was going to be spent in awkward silence or strained conversation. He shouldn’t have worried - Tony was sweet, easy going, and always willing to give second chances. With that in mind Peter was ready to take full advantage of Tony’s invitation.

 

“It would be my pleasure,” Peter grinned. He easily took charge of their gait, calmly slowing their walk. He felt like he was walking on clouds. Peter still wasn’t sure if Tony would be amenable for something long term but it seemed foolish to not try at all because of that fear. “And just for the record, this is a date.”

 

Tony turned to him and laughed. “Alright.”

 

* * *

 

Lunch was a fun affair. Peter always enjoyed watching Tony trying new food. It was like watching a comedy and horror movie at the same time. The first time Tony tried something questionable the genius ended up throwing up seconds later; it was not a pretty sight.

 

“This was surprisingly delicious,” said Tony as he took one last sip of his drink. 

 

“Glad you liked that. Want dessert?” asked Peter as he leaned back in the booth and stretched out. Tony eyed him and the menu appreciatively.

 

“Nah, I’m good,” answered Tony as he patted his stomach, “I’m pretty full.”

 

Peter got up and dumped some credits onto the table when he saw Tony reaching for his own wallet. “I told you lunch was on me, beautiful - don’t make me into a liar now,” teasingly chided Peter.

 

Tony gave Peter a warm smile at the compliment. “Let’s get out of here,” he said as he started making his way out of the restaurant. Peter got up and followed him only to stop suddenly when he felt Tony slip his hand into his own, his fingers warm and calloused.

 

“Problem, handsome?” quipped Tony, easily covering up his nerves.

 

Peter could feel his face warm. “N-No problem! No problem at all,” he stuttered out with a large dorky smile on his face. He let Tony pull him out of the restaurant and back onto the street. 

 

* * *

 

They walked around some more and bought a few more trinkets before Tony realized that it was nearing dinner time and he had done nothing in regards to Peter’s surprise. He looked around, hoping to find Kraglin in the crowd so he could serve as a distraction to give Tony time to work at the Milano. When he didn’t see the other man Tony inwardly swore. They didn’t have a lot of time left and he still had things to brush up on.

 

“It’s nearing dinner time,” commented Peter as they continued to make their way back to the hotel they were staying at. They had continued to hold hands during the afternoon and Peter couldn’t have been more happy. He and Tony hadn’t really talked about the new development between them but Peter did not want to be the first to bring it up.

 

Tony turned to him. “Yeah, we should probably contact the team and see if they want to join us.”

 

Peter could feel his smile fade from his face. He had wanted to invite Tony to a romantic dinner together since lunch had gone over so well, but now he wasn’t so sure. “Uh, sure. The team. Dinner sounds good.”

 

“You okay, Peter?” asked Tony as he tried to mentally summon Kraglin, knowing it wouldn’t make a difference. He would either have to sneak out later tonight or just try again tomorrow. The hard part was that he really just wanted to continue going on dates with Peter now that they had a small break between jobs but he didn’t have the personal time to do so. Sometimes Tony hated how he always managed to get himself into these ‘between a rock & hard-place’ kind of situations.

 

“Yeah!” Peter answered in false enthusiasm. “Yeah, of course I’m okay.”

 

Tony just looked at him in scrutiny. “Ohhh Kayyy…” he drawled out. “What’s the problem?”

 

By this time they had reached the hotel entrance and were on their way to their room. “There’s no problem,” answered Peter, unable to look Tony in the face. Tony just looked at him, his mouth downturned in unhappiness.

 

“Did I screw up already?” asked Tony before he could help himself. He knew that trying to form something with Peter was going to end in a disaster, but he hadn’t realized that he would mess up so soon. He expected that he and Peter would at least go out for a month before Tony did something to turn the other man off.

 

They walked into their room, their hands unclasping as Peter made his way to his bed. Tony stood by the door, unsure of himself and hating it. He thought everything was going good. They had flirted and ate lunch together and held hands. It was all very PG and sweet. 

 

“No! No, you didn’t screw up at all! You’re fine, you’re perfect,” said Peter as he made his way back to Tony by the door. Now he was the one that was screwing up and Peter wanted to beat himself over the head with something. “I just thought we would end up having dinner, just the two of us,” he admitted as he grasped Tony’s hands within his own. At that Tony let out a large smile, his brown eyes sparkling in warmth.

 

“Perfect huh?” he teased, wanting to get rid of the tense air that was around them suddenly.

 

Peter let out a surprised laugh as he took in Tony in all his rumpled glory. “Complement can’t get better than that. So dinner?”

 

Tony could feel himself calming down. So he hadn’t messed anything up - that was good. Peter just wanted to have a more  _ romantic _ dinner.

 

“Dinner sounds great,” answered Tony as he smiled warmly. “But you’ll have to be the one and tell the team to let them know we won’t be joining them,” he continued on to say with a mischievous grin.

 

Peter tilted his head until his eyes could only view the ceiling. “Awww,” he groaned, “Can’t you do it?” he whined jokingly.

 

Tony freed one of his hands and tilted Peter’s face back down, his palm cradling Peter’s cheek. “You want to take me to dinner, you gotta deal with the family first,” cheekily said Tony as he made his way around Peter to drop off his bag of goodies on his bed. “Gonna shower first while you go deal with that,” said Tony as he continued by taking off his boots.

 

Peter looked at him in fond exasperation. “Yes, dear,” he quipped. Tony just shot him a playful glare as he stood up and stripped his shirt all in one smooth move.

 

Peter visibly gulped as his cheeks reddened while taking in the sight in front of him. Tony slid his hands down his torso slowly, stopping to undo his belt and unbutton his jeans. “What’s wrong Peter?” he asked teasingly as he swayed his body closer to where Peter was standing stock-still.

 

Tony knew exactly what he was doing but he couldn’t help himself. Peter looked utterly delectable as he stared at Tony’s half naked body. Peter’s eyes had darkened with arousal the same way his cheeks darkened in embarrassment. It was utterly endearing and Tony couldn’t help but to push and play a little. It had been a long time since he had felt this comfortable with another person enough to flirt and play these silly games. It had been an even longer time since he had wanted to. Peter seemed to bring out the young man in Tony that had been missing after everything that had happened to him back on Terra, once again proving that space did Tony a world of good.

 

Peter felt his fists clench at his sides trying desperately to keep them there instead of running them all over Tony’s bare torso. Instead he allowed his eyes to trail down that scarred, but still sexy chest, his eyes immediately transfixed on the trail of hair just below Tony’s navel as it went down into the hidden recesses of his pants. This wasn’t the first time he had seen Tony shirtless. Living in the Milano, while still a large ship, was still cramped in so many ways that there simply was no way of not seeing one of the Guardians in different stages of undress. However this was the first time that Peter was seeing Tony like this after they had gone out for the day in what was shaping out to be Peter’s longest date ever in the history of his life. This time he knew that Tony was teasing him with intent instead of just playing around and it caused his own arousal to skyrocket. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and knew he had to get out of the room before he let his sexual desire for Tony take over his romantic inclinations. He had already promised to himself and secretly to Tony that he was going to do this right. He didn’t want to be another notch on the bedpost and knew that Tony didn’t want that either. It was better to take it slow for now, no matter how hard he had just gotten.

 

“Everything’s fine!” managed to squeak out Peter, trying to regain himself. “I’m just gonna go now,” he said as he jerked his thumb at the door. At Tony’s hurt look he quickly added, “To let the team know that we won’t be able to join them for dinner.” At that Tony’s face visibly brightened once more.

 

“Oh, alright cool. I’ll be in the shower just in case you get back before I’m done,” said Tony with a smile. He knew that he had put Peter to some kind of subconscious test and Tony was trying not to berate himself too much for it. Peter didn’t take him up on his obvious offer at sex and was actually still adamant at having dinner with him. Tony could feel himself fill with hope and warmth with the knowledge that Peter really did hold more feelings for him than just simple lust. It made Tony almost giddy with happiness at the thought. There hadn’t been anyone serious since Pepper and Tony had always found it hard to find anyone that wasn’t interested in the things he could provide instead of the person he was. People had always wanted him for his name, his fortune, fame or intelligence, but they never seemed to want the self-doubting, snarky, sassy side of himself. With Peter, here in whatever planet they seemed to stop on this time, Tony could finally feel again what it meant to have someone like him just for him and it was exhilarating. He tried not to show his utter joy at the thought and instead turned to the bathroom.

 

Peter visibly relaxed as he let out a sigh. “I’ll pick the restaurant this time,” he said as he waved Tony goodbye and stepped out of the room.

 

TBC


End file.
